


Lord of the Rings Alternate Ending

by OverlyObsessedFangirl1



Category: The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 03:15:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15810177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OverlyObsessedFangirl1/pseuds/OverlyObsessedFangirl1
Summary: exactly as the title says





	Lord of the Rings Alternate Ending

Sam pulled Frodo away from the edge as a column of fire shot up. The mountain began to shake, and cracks appeared in the stone. Chunks of rock fell into the fiery chasm, and more columns of flame erupted.

‘Come on, Mr. Frodo!’ Sam cried, tugging Frodo’s arm. ‘We’ve got to get out of here.’

Half leading him, half carrying him, Sam helped Frodo out of the cave just as great patches of earth came loose and blocked the entrance. Stumbling, he dropped Frodo, who cried out in pain as his damaged hand hit the sharp rocks and hard earth. He and Sam rolled down the mountainside, coming to a rest about thirty feet down, where a ledge leveled off. Above them, the mountaintop exploded, sending fire and debris into the surround air.

Sam crawled over to Frodo, covering them both with the Elven cloaks as the hot ash and rocks rained down about them.

‘I’m all right, Sam,’ Frodo rasped. The hot, dry air was taking its toll.

‘Beggin’ your pardon, Mr. Frodo, but you’re not,’ said Sam. ‘And we’re out of water, and there’s less than a bite of lembas bread left, but it might be enough to get you out of here-’

‘You take it, Sam,’ Frodo insisted. ‘I did what I set out to do, but you need to return. Try to get home, and see Rosie.’

‘No, sir! Remember what Mr. Pippin said, “we’re going to stick to you through thick and thin.”’

Frodo opened his mouth to argue more, but at that moment, with a great roar, the fires from Mt. Doom came rushing down, engulfing the poor little hobbits, whose screams were drowned out by the angry bellows of the mountain.  


* * *

When the mountain exploded, the orcs froze. Their link with Sauron had failed. Gandalf raised his staff and caused the barren earth to crack. The orcs and their army fell into the abyss, cursing. When the last monster had disappeared, the crack sealed, leaving a pale, jagged scar in the otherwise empty landscape. After a moment of stunned silence, the soldiers of Rohan and Gondor cheered.

‘Frodo has succeeded!’ Éomer shouted.

As the company cheered, Gandalf looked uneasily toward Mt. Doom. Aragorn, picking up on his uneasiness, sidled up to him.

‘You don’t think they survived that, do you?’ he asked, following Gandalf’s gaze.

‘I fear that no one, not even a hobbit, could survive that,’ Gandalf replied gravely.

Turning, Gandalf called to Gwaihir. The giant eagle lifted him up and flew to Mt. Doom, circling as Gandalf scanned the cooling rock for the hobbits. His heart sinking, he found them, two charred skeletons, huddling together, mouths open in cut-off screams.

‘There!’ he told the Windlord, pointing.

‘Poor hobbits,’ Gandalf said to himself. ‘Frodo, you did not ask for the Ring to come to you. You did not deserve to die. And Master Gamgee. “Don’t you leave him, Samwise Gamgee,” I told you, and you didn’t. You burned with him instead of trying to escape. No doubt he told you to flee, and no doubt you refused. Poor, poor hobbits.”

When the company returned, there was stunned silence. Then Éowyn let out a wail, and clung to Faramir, tears streaming down her face. Frodo and Sam were laid next to those that had also fallen: Pippin, crushed by the troll; Merry, who had succumbed to the sickness caused by striking the wraith; Théoden, killed by the Witch-king; and many others. They were all laid to rest in Gondor’s burial ground for heroes. At the head of the graves, one massive tombstone listed the names of all the fallen, and underneath, ‘ _Their wills did not yield, and they struggled on_.’

* * *

After the funerals were over, a company of elves showed up at the gates. Among them were Elrond and Arwen. When Aragorn learned of their presence, he rushed to meet them.

Gandalf had already gone off with Elrond, and they spoke alone for several hours. Aragorn occupied himself by entertaining Arwen. He took her on long walks in the gardens and along the river. The dined alone in the courtyard. They listened to the Elven songs and danced to the tunes of the minstrels. By the time Gandalf and Elrond returned, their was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Aragorn and Arwen cared about each other very much.

Later that night, Aragorn, Éomer, and Gandalf sat around a hearth, sharing the last of the pipeweed from Isengard. They smoked in silence for a while, before Aragorn spoke.

‘What news did Elrond bring?’ he asked Gandalf.

‘He said that the monsters have finally stopped attacking,’ Gandalf replied. He stared into the fire as he spoke. ‘He also informed me that Bilbo-’

‘Bilbo died with the Ring, didn’t he?’ Aragorn guessed. Gandalf nodded.

‘It was to be expected,’ he said. ‘Bilbo’s long life was tied to the Ring. Still, to have him be gone after all these years…’ Gandalf’s voice trailed off.

‘And what of the hobbits’ homeland?’ Éomer asked. ‘What happened to it?’

‘Everything is back to normal for the Shire. Frodo’s friend Fatty Bolger sent a letter to Bilbo, asking him to tell Frodo how the Shire rose up against the Orcs and drove them out. The Orcs were taken by surprise, not expecting a revolution from such docile creatures.’

‘What sparked the revolt?’ inquired Aragorn.

‘The Orcs were caught trying to steal from the Sackville-Bagginses,’ Gandalf replied, chuckling. ‘Of all the hobbits to lead a revolution. Lobelia was quite terrifying, according to Fatty. He never wants to see her like that again, beating Orcs with pots and stabbing them with forks. Chased them right out of Hobbiton, she did.’

‘Any other news?’ questioned Éomer.

‘Oh, little things. Sam’s pony found his way to old Butterbur. When, I cannot be sure, as Barley rarely remembers to send out his post. Ah, yes. Some Elvish scouts found Wormtongue on the road to Carn Dûm. He had the head of Saruman in his pack. It seems that he was going to try to resurrect the Witch-king. Unfortunately, he was killed by the archers before his intentions could be learned.

‘Now, to bed! There is a double wedding tomorrow, is there not?’ Gandalf, eyes sparkling, smiled at Aragorn. ‘It would not do for the groom to fall asleep at the altar.’

* * *

The story of the weddings of Aragorn and Arwen, and Faramir and Éowyn, would be told for generations to come. No one could remember a more lavish ceremony, save when Aragorn was finally crowned King Elessar. The festivities lasted several weeks, at the end of which Éomer returned home to claim his crown. Faramir and Éowyn settled down in a small mountain castle, halfway between Rohan and Gondor.

Legolas and Gimli toured the mines and forests of Middle-Earth for many years. When Gimli passed, Legolas set coarse for the sea.

Gandalf wandered deep into the Fangorn, where he descended into an underground room. He remains there to this day, in an enchanted sleep, waiting for the day when he will be needed again.


End file.
